3 Tips to Conclude a Meeting More Effectively

Healthcare Leadership

 

with Dan Nielsen dan@americashealthcareleaders.com

 

3 Tips to Conclude a Meeting More Effectively

 

It’s almost a guarantee that at some point in your work life you have attended or perhaps even led a less than productive meeting. Meetings, while a necessary function of almost any organization, are only as productive as the preparation that goes into them and the participants who attend them.

 

The Harvard Business Review featured an article earlier this year written by Bob Frisch and Cary Greene titled, “Don’t End a Meeting Without Doing These 3 Things.” The authors suggests 3 specific tasks that will help ensure your meeting concludes on a productive note:

1. Confirm key decisions and next steps. The article specifies to recap the decisions made, who will be accountable for what, the plan for action and timetables, and communication. This guarantees each individual leaves knowing exactly what they are in charge of, when it is expected to be completed, and how to communicate progress to the other team members.
2. Develop communication points. Make sure that each participant knows how to communicate what happened at the meeting. The article suggests asking, “What are the most important things we accomplished in our time here together?” By doing this, you provide some review and help your team be consistent about what happened, what can be discussed, and what can’t.
3. Gather session feedback. Never end a meeting without gathering feedback. Too often this step is skipped because it is counted as unimportant or as a waste of time. By gathering feedback, you show initiative that you want these meetings to be as efficient and effective as possible.

 

Too often meetings must be repeated because individuals walk away without a clear purpose or goal. Do not make that mistake! Each of these 3 tips from HBR is a clear, actionable strategy that helps to bring focus to the end of the meeting, and helps ensure the time spent leads to results.

 

If you are going to take the time to meet, make sure the meeting is as effective as possible. As a leader, you are in charge of coordinating and giving your teams clear goals to focus on. As an employee, you are responsible for actively participating and giving constructive feedback to ensure every meeting is a success. Begin leveraging these excellent strategies this week!

 

 

Copyright © 2016 by Dan Nielsen – www.americashealthcareleaders.com